GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: Sept. 24, 2022 LOCATION: Sodexo Field, Rindge, N.H. GAME DAY LINKS LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

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THE LEAD
The New Haven men's soccer team will stay on the road as they head north to New Hampshire, where they will take on the #2 ranked Franklin Pierce Ravens. The Chargers look to pick up their first win of the year while simultaneously handing the Ravens their first loss of the season. The action is set to go down at Sodexo Field on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 6:00 P.M.

SERIES HISTORY VS FRANKLIN PIERCE
This will be the 29th time these two NE10 programs compete as Franklin Pierce has held control of the series with a 22-4-2 all-time record against the Chargers. The two last met on Oct. 19, 2021 when the #1 ranked Ravens defeated the Chargers 2-1 in a tightly contested game. The first ever match between the teams took place on Sept. 18, 1988 and resulted in a 2-1 win for Franklin Pierce in overtime. The Chargers have played spoiler to Franklin Pierce in the past as one of their wins was a 2-1 victory over the #21 ranked Ravens in 2017 while the last time the Ravens were ranked #2 when playing New Haven, the Chargers drew a 1-1 tie after two overtimes. Both of those games took place on the road as New Haven holds a 2-10-1 record when playing in Rindge.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS (0-4-3)
The Chargers continue their search for their first win on the season, however their defense has kept games close, having lost by no more than a goal in any of their games. Their last time on the pitch was a 1-1 draw against the Assumption Greyhounds on Tuesday for New Haven's third conference match. 

Over the span of seven games, the defense has only allowed seven goals for a 1.00 average goals against, which ranks tied-sixth in the conference.

Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora), who scored the team's lone goal on Tuesday, is responsible for two of the team's three goals this season. The other goal was scored by sophomore midfielder Tyler Pereira (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven) off an assist by Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) in the Chargers' season opener against Bridgeport. Sophomore forward Alexander Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland/Verzlenarskoli Islands) was also credited with an assist on the campaign, coming on Barnils' goal against the Assumption Greyhounds.

Up to now, the Chargers have outshot opponents, 99-66, while also recording more shots on goal, 36-32. New Haven tallied a season-high 21 shots in the draw against AIC on last Saturday while the defense limited the Yellow Jackets to a season-low four shots. The Chargers attempted 19 shots in last game's draw, their second most on the year.

Sophomore goalkeeper Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet) has racked up 24 saves and a .774 save percentage to start the year, fifth and 11th in the NE10, respectively. Kastoris recorded his third tie, two of which were shutouts, allowing one goal while making two saves against Assumption.

Out of all 18 Chargers who have attempted one or more shots, Barnils holds the lead for shots taken with 15 while Gunnarsson follows close behind with 10. Polletta and Oskar Kvarnback (Stockholm, Sweden/Bromma Gymnasium) have both attempted nine shots on the season, as well.

New Haven, who was voted seventh in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll with 59 points, is currently ranked 11th in the conference standings.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS (8-0-1)
The Ravens entered the season looking to defend their conference championship title from a season prior. Franklin Pierce finished the 2021 season with a commanding record of 20-1-1 on their way to defeating American International 2-1 in the title game. The Ravens made it to the third round of the 2021 NCAA Division ll Championship before falling to Millersville in a PK shootout after receiving a first round bye.

Franklin Pierce picked up where they left off as they enter the matchup with the Chargers with a 8-0-1 record. The Ravens started conference play with three straight wins before the team settled for a 0-0 draw with the Le Moyne Dolphins in their latest game on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Sophomore forward Braudilio Rodrigues has led the dominant offense this season with seven goals and four assists, first and second in the conference respectively, for a NE10 leading 18 points. Rodrigues has had a hat trick in two games, against Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Michael's, while his lone goal outside of those games came against Bridgeport.

Midfielder Marc Lopez follows close behind with five goals, three of which have been in conference play. After scoring a goal in the team's season opener against Queens, the graduate strung together four goals across three games from Sept. 6 to Sept. 14. Although Rodriguez leads the NE10 in goals and points, Lopez is also on the leaderboard, ranking fourth in both categories.

Fellow graduate Jonas Cervera Anchel has played a key role in fascilating the offense as he leads the team and the conference with five assists while tallying a pair of goals, as well. Forwards Younes Addar and Miguel Angel Pastor Gutierrez both have racked up six points on the year, the former has scored three goals while the latter has two goals and two assists.

The Ravens have had a player recognized in the weekly rewards by the NE10 in every week. Goalkeeper Kosta Maniatis was named Goalkeeper of the Week in week 1 while Rodriguez and Lopez were named Player of the Week, Rodriguez winning the honor twice, so far.

Senior goalkeeper Kosta Maniatis has started between the posts in eight of nine games for the Ravens, where he has only allowed three goals while racking up 15 saves. Although Maniatis' 15 saves currently 12th in the NE10 among all goalkeepers while his .833 save percentage ranks third..

Franklin Pierce boasts a very large and diverse roster, comprised of 51 players. The roster is broken down into 21 freshman, six sophomores, eight juniors, eight seniors and eight graduate students.

UP NEXT
New Haven will return home for an extended homestand where they will host the Saint Rose Golden Knights in a mid-week showdown. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at Kathy Zolad Stadium. All of the action will be available live on the Chargers Sports Network on NE10 Now with Live Stats available via NewHavenChargers.com.